At the heart of European medieval culture was a synthesis of Christianity, the ancient heritage and characteristics inherent in the barbarian peoples. Characteristic features of the era are the rejection of direct experimental knowledge of the nature of the world and man and the priority of religious dogmas. Due to the forefront of the Christian explanation of the structure of the Universe and the stagnation of the development of many sciences, the centuries from V to XIV are often called “dark”. Nevertheless, even in this period, the person’s knowledge of the world expands, the Greco-Roman tradition of education continues, albeit in a very changed form, and there are still “seven free arts”.
The basis of knowledge
The beginning of the Middle Ages is considered the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the V century. Naturally, the emerging peoples and states perceived much of the open, created and meaningful during the period of Antiquity. The foundation of the educational system was no exception: the disciplines that, according to the ancient Greeks and Romans, were necessary as a preparatory stage, preceding the study of philosophy. Seven free arts included grammar, dialectics (logic), rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. The first three were combined into a trivium - a system of humanities. Arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy constituted a quadrivium - four mathematical disciplines.
In the days of antiquity
Quadrivium took shape in the period of late Antiquity. Arithmetic was considered the main science. It should be noted that in the days of Ancient Greece and Rome, those classes that slaves could not do were called free arts. They were associated exclusively with mental activity and did not require much physical effort. Art was understood not as an artistic representation of the world, but as methods of practical comprehension of nature through observation.
The trivium finally formed later in the early Middle Ages. He became the first stage of education. Only after studying the disciplines of the trivium could we go over to the quadrivium.
Church and Antique Heritage
In the Middle Ages , the basis of knowledge of the universe and worldview lay Christianity. Church leaders opposed faith to reason, preferring the former. However, many aspects of the dogma could not be explained without the use of some elements of ancient philosophy.
For the first time, Marcian Capella tried to combine Greco-Roman knowledge and a Christian understanding of the world. In his treatise On the Marriage of Philology and Mercury, he divided the seven free arts into the trivium and quadrivia. Capella briefly talked about all the disciplines that make up this system. His trivium is described for the first time.
Further development of the trivium and quadrivium involved Boethius and Cassiodor (VI century). Both scientists made a huge contribution to the formation of the educational system in the Middle Ages. Boethius developed the foundations of the scholastic method. Kassiodor founded the Vivarium on his estate in Italy, the components of which - a school, library and scriptorium (the place where books corresponded) - later became mandatory in the structure of monasteries.
Imprint of religion
Seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages were taught to the clergy and presented in accordance with the needs of the church. The study of disciplines was, rather, superficial - only at the level that is necessary for understanding Christian dogmas and the administration of services. All seven free arts in the Middle Ages were comprehended for an exclusively practical purpose and within a rather narrow framework:
rhetoric is needed when preparing church documents and writing sermons;
grammar taught to understand Latin texts;
dialectics was reduced to formal logic and substantiated the dogmas of faith;
arithmetic taught elementary counting and was used in the mystical interpretation of numbers;
geometry was required to build drawings of temples;
music is necessary for the compilation and performance of church hymns;
astronomy was used to calculate the dates of religious holidays.
Education in the Middle Ages
In the early Middle Ages, seven free arts were studied only in monastery schools. The bulk of the population remained illiterate. The philosophical heritage of Antiquity was considered almost the basis of many heresies, and therefore the study of disciplines was reduced to the above points. However, in scriptories not only Christian texts were carefully copied, but also works, poetic and philosophical, by ancient authors. Monasteries were a bastion of education and scientific knowledge.
The situation began to change in the X century. From this century begins the heyday of medieval culture (X-XV centuries.). It is characterized by a gradual increase in interest in the secular aspects of life, in the personality of a person. There are cathedral schools, which were accepted not only representatives of the clergy, but also the laity. In the XI-XII centuries. the first universities appear. Cultural life is gradually moving from monasteries and churches to urban centers.
The transitional period between these two eras can be considered the period of the Carolingian Renaissance.
Seven Free Arts at Charlemagne
By the end of the VIII century. The Frankish state united the vast territories of Western Europe. The Empire reached its peak during the reign of Charlemagne. The king was aware that such a state could be controlled only if a well-functioning apparatus of officials was created. Therefore, Charlemagne decided to make changes to the existing education system.
At every monastery and every church, schools for the clergy began to open. In some, lay people also studied. The program included seven free arts. True, their understanding was still limited to church needs.
Charlemagne invited scientists from other countries, organized a school at the court, where nobles studied poetry, rhetoric, astronomy and dialectics.
The Carolingian Renaissance ended with the death of the king, but it served as an impetus for the subsequent development of European culture.
Seven liberal arts in the Middle Ages, as in Antiquity, formed the basis of education. They were considered, however, only in a narrow framework of practical application for the needs of the Christian church.